Until We Get It Done (On My Meeting with Zohran Mamdani)
A couple of Saturdays ago, I had an existential question that I couldn’t grapple over. “Do you think I should go canvass?” My wife, knowing who I was, neither confirmed…
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The Greatness [A Decade In Review]
I became a math instructional coach, went back to the classroom a few years later, graduated hundreds of students, achieved National Board certification, received the
Some Thoughts on Math and A Culturally Relevant – Sustaining Education
In case you missed the news, the NYC Department of Education adopted a definition of culturally responsive / sustaining education inspired by several parts scholarship,
Dividing Fractions Directly and Other Things We Can’t Unknow
“Last year, we learned to keep-flip-change …” She sees my face wince, but proceeds anyways. “The way that goes is you keep the original fraction,
Our Own Practice
This weekend, Colin Kaepernick practiced in front of NFL scouts. One version of the practice story is that the ball seemed to float out of
Juliot, A Letter
To my father, It was one of the last times we ever had an extensive conversation. You had the news radio on blast in your
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Oh, Aight [Giving Them The First Word]
It always starts the same. A little noise. A small plastic flick. A few curses. A thwop. A burst of laughter. A myriad of ways
Black Teachers as Reparations: My Remarks at the Congressional Black Caucus
The Center for American Progress in collaboration with Education Reform Now invited me and a host of other citizens with opinions on education to speak
Come As You Are (Part 1)
I couldn’t help it. I checked my work e-mail. A list of names with offers I’ll never accept with things I’d never buy from them.
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Transforming Schools Into Vehicles for Decarceration [On Morris’ Sing a Rhythm, Dance a Blues]
Recently, Gloria Ladson-Billings was asked whether the interpretation of her works has changed, to which she quipped: “I think that people don’t actually read the
The Great I Am
The essential question: how can we reflect the changes we want to see in the world? Because I don’t have students in front of me
They May Not “Know” Math, But They Can Tell They’re Divided
In 2012, I had the pleasure of reading a poem dedicated to NYC public schools at a Save Our Schools rally in City Park Hall.
The Breaststroke (A Reflection on the 2019-2020 School Year)
The last time I went into a swimming pool, I did my usual routine. I’d put my full right foot in, slowly lean with my
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When Were We Ever Indivisible? [A Reflection on NYC Schools Chancellor Carranza]
A newspaper in the city recently reported that nine New York City councilmembers have called for NYC schools chancellor Richard Carranza’s firing, saying he’s more
Thanks For Coming To My TED Talk (For The Culture)
I’m so proud to share my most recent TED talk about teacher voice with the world for various reasons: Imagine my shock when I found
A Note About the Fifth Year Anniversary of This Is Not A Test
I wrote this book for you. For some of you, it means I wrote this in love. There’s always that first visit to the local
An Open and Extended Response (On Testing Season)
I laid my lesson plans on top of the roller tray. I pulled off my “problem of the moment” off my printer and put scissors
Let Us March On ‘Til Victory Is Won
Even on concrete, my shoes manage to screech at me when I’m chasing down a crosstown bus at 6:45 in the morning. My robust frame
Where We Belong
When I first attended the annual National Council of Teachers of Mathematics conference, it took place in Salt Lake City, Utah. I’d never been to
Teaching Intolerance
You’re not even supposed to be this public. You stood out in a space that was 80% people of color. Your scruff and leather coat
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What You’re Not Gonna Do [Vox]
This weekend, I’ve spent the majority of my Internet time swatting detractors of my latest piece on Vox about the Specialized High School Admissions Test
Take All The Space You Need (For Now)
It was a humid summer afternoon. I ventured with my son to a few stores along East 86th Street, enjoying parts of the city we
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For New York City To Love Us Back [Teaching and Living Here]
Question of the century: how do we create a profession that we can love and can love us back? These ideas aren’t diametrically opposed, but
Writing as Threat
On the Saturday after I spoke on a panel at the Schomburg, I attended the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators conference here in
You Don’t Have To Lie (Hire More Black Teachers, Maybe)
On Friday, I had the honor and pleasure of speaking at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NYC with student activists
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MLK’s Work Precedes Us And, With Resilience, Lives After [Medium]
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit live at Riverside Church to watch a spirited conversation between writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and newly minted congresswoman Alexandria
On Creativity and The Stories Our Schools Tell Themselves
Around each March, a few students say they can do my job better than me. At the end of the year, I let them mock
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Keep That Same Energy, Tho [2018 and Beyond]
“So what year are you?” I hesitated. In circles like these, I’m usually the odd person out. People probably ask themselves qualification questions privately, as
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A Book That Tells Teachers How To Talk About Race. No, Really. [Not Light But Fire]
Recently, a conversation flared up on Twitter. (That last sentence has become the new “a guy walks into the bar …” for online education activists,
Just Take It Slow, We Got So Far To Go
On Monday, our students had a trip to the American Museum of Natural History. After a series of whip-arounds and semi-completed scavenger hunts, we entered
Learning and Earning In This Era of Education Justice
This year, as with every year, I’ve hung a little poster of both Malcolm Little to Malcolm X / el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz with the tagline
Actually, Yes, I’m About To Sing Hamilton At This Event
Recently, Math for America asked NYC science teacher Lynn Shon and me to co-speak at their annual Fall Function also known as Nerd Prom. It
You Don’t Have To Like It (Students Watch and Talk About Us, Anyways)
A few times a month, I’ll be on the whiteboard, jotting down examples for my lesson with my back turned to my students. The students
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I Put In Work And It’s All For The Kids [An NCTE Reflection]
Just before I got home, I turn on DMX’s “X Gon’ Give It To Ya” because it matches the BPM I need to make it
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There’s A War Going On Inside We Ain’t Safe From [A Conversation with Lorena Germán]
Jose Vilson: Recently, there’s been some conversation as to whether or not our schools should be compared to war. Lots of folks, for example, say
A Reminder About Teaching Students Math in NYC (And Beyond)
“So what you’re saying is that the statement at the top of this paper is for me to prove using these equations?” I nod. “OK,
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